SurgicalBrute

This is always the mistake every subculture makes at the start. The idea of the more the merrier, because everyone always assumes that everyone else is coming in with the same general appreciation for the subculture and how it exists. The problem with media attention is that it often brings large influxes of people who don't care about the subculture they're moving into. Then the next thing you know, you've got a bunch of perpetually online goon-beards whining about how black metal needs to be "safer" or some stupid shit like that.

Okay..I'm late to this on account of having been away for a couple of days, but let me go ahead and throw my own 2-cents into this conversation. Adam here was not the only one who took exception to this situation. Apparently a whole lot of people online got bent out of shape about it, and tried to gatekeep Metallica, to the point that they basically released a brief statement telling people to knock it off. ...to that I'll only add that while I support at least some small degree of gatekeeping in any hobby, because fuck social parasites, at the end of the day Metallica isn't the hill to die on. That war was over a long time ago, with the release of the black album. At this point you'd have to be fresh off the spaceship to not know who they were, so I'm honestly confused what people were trying to keep secret. Honestly though, it's not worth getting upset every time some brain dead Kardashian is seen wandering around with a Slayer shirt on. The vast majority of these people aren't going to get any further than the most well known names that they know from the radio. They're not metal fans, and most likely never will be. More importantly though, is that they're not really trying to be either, and because of that they affect nothing. ...and that comment about "touching grass" has nothing to do with drugs. It means you need calm down and get some perspective

Happy birthday, kid

This album is actually a couple of years old...it was on my Best of 2021 list. It's just getting another round of releases this year through a different label

It definitely sucks when you don't have people in your local friend circle who share your interest in metal...especially when it comes to going to shows. Unfortunately, it's something most of us kind of have to deal with simply because metal is such a niche genre these days. Not sure if it helps or not, but just remember that music is always a personal experience. Even when you have friends who like the same type of stuff you do, it's going to have different feelings and meanings attached to it. It's never going to hit any of you the same way. To put it another way, we all kind of listen to music alone. When it comes to finding people to talk about music though, really your best bet is to find a place on the internet...whether here or somewhere else...that you feel comfortable, and then make your metalhead friends online. You do want to understand though, that "metalhead" is a very broad term. It covers a ton of different styles, and just because you find other metalheads doesn't mean you'll have any music in common with them. I'm not saying that to be condescending, I just want to make sure you don't end up on something like r/Black Metal trying to talk about Avenged Sevenfold or something like that. This comment board here is a good place to hang for a bit, because even though most of us are kind of curmudgeony, no one is going to have issues answering any questions you might have while you're getting a handle on how things work.

Symphonic Power Metal...that's a huge genre of music. Try bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, and Twilight Force

Went back to it exactly one time after it closed as the Sonar, for Deathfest 2013. At that point, the place was a dance club called the Paparazzi, but the Deathfest guys were in a lurch because of the sudden closure of the Sonar, so they gave it a try. It was honestly a bit of a shitshow that year...the place didn't even have a fucking stage anymore! My friends and I did get some good stories out of it though, and the festival found a much better way of doing things after that. Ottobar is the tits. I'm hoping to get over for Dead Congregation next month, but I'm old and it's on a Tuesday 😁. I like The Metro Gallery as well since they always get really good shows. It's been a long while since I was at The Depot though...can't even remember the last time I was there

Oh yeah...joking aside, Baltimore has a strong metal scene. We're actually lucky enough to have a lot of good tours coming through our area that don't always make it to a lot of other states.

My mistake...missed that part when I was reading through. I've definitely got some good memories from the Sonar, saw some great bands there for sure, but I can't say I really miss it as a venue. Always thought the sound in there was hit or miss, depending on which side of the stage you were on, and goddamn could it get hotter than hell inside if you weren't standing directly under one of like, only three A/C vents in the building. Was it bankruptcy that got them? I know the majority owner got nailed with a 10 year prison sentence for running some kind of illegal drug ring, but i never heard exactly why it got closed down.

That was part of the trap. When it dried up and the floor got sticky, more people would go up with the building

I'd almost guess this was The Sonar, but I can't imagine doing flame spewing pyramids in that old fire trap

Speaking as the guy who lives south of Baltimore, it surprises me anyone would choose to live there as well. 😁 Always good to have another Maryland metalhead on the board though....welcome!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Finnish Death Metal...you should go listen to this album next ...and you'll probably get some enjoyment from digging through the bands in this thread here as well:

I didn't say they'd be taking off MY restraints

Hey...I'm the sanest person I know. In fact, my court ordered therapist says they'll be taking the restraints off any day now. Oh yeah..welcome!